US Airways Flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia Airpot on January 15 at 3:26 pm en route to Charlotte, N.C. Just 3 minutes after takeoff, pilot Chesley Sullenberger (the likely hero of the day) and his co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles ditched the plane in the Hudson River. Thanks to glider plane-like maneuvering, the pilot was able to fly over the George Washington Bridge and land the plane near midtown Manhattan on the Hudson River, where it was visible from Popular Mechanics office windows. All passengers were safely evacuated with help from trained personnel on ferries as a helicopter full of emergency rescue divers hovered above. The final cause of the Airbus A-320’s ditch is speculated—thanks to eyewitness reports—to be due to multiple bird strikes, which can take down even the biggest of planes. The official cause of the crash, however, is still being investigated by the NTSB. As of the evening of January 16, both engines were missing and the voice recorder and flight recorder were unable to be recovered by divers. Popular Mechanics’ Analysis of the Flight 1549 Airbus A-320 Ditch: THE PILOTMedia Platforms Design Team Did the Hudson Plane Crash Pilot’s Glider Skills Help Him Land Flight 1549?PLANE DESIGNMedia Platforms Design Team Smart Plane Design Guided the Pilot of 1549 through a Safe DitchDITCH SWITCHMedia Platforms Design Team Pictures of Airbus A-320’s Ditch ButtonBIRD STRIKESMedia Platforms Design Team Why Multiple Birds Can Bring Down Even A Big PlaneRELATED STORIES• ANALYSIS: Did Pilot’s Glider Skills Help Him Land Flight 1549?• PLUS: Why Multiple Birds Can Bring Down Even A Big Plane• EARLIER: PM Investigates How to Survive a Crash• GALLERY: 10 Plane Crashes that Have Changed Aviation
